U.S. Pat. No. 4,260,209 discloses an electrical connector for terminating flat ribbon cable of the type having a plurality of signal and ground conductors enclosed in an insulative jacket. The connector has signal contacts with slotted beams for insulation displacement termination of the signal conductors, and a ground bus with slotted beams for insulation displacement termination of the ground conductors. The slotted beams of the signal contacts are disposed at one elevation, and the slotted beams of the ground bus are disposed at a different elevation. Prior to termination, the insulative jacket must be stripped to expose the signal and ground conductors individually so as to permit separation of the signal and ground conductors into different planes. The stripping operation is time consuming and adds to manufacturing cost. Further, after the signal and ground conductors are terminated they reside at different heights in the connector, thereby increasing the overall size of the connector.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,681,382 discloses an electrical connector for terminating flat ribbon cable wherein the signal and ground conductors reside at the same height after termination. However, a portion of the insulative jacket still must be stripped from the signal and ground conductors prior to termination. Also, the unstripped portion of the flat cable is bent back over the connector after termination so that it can be gripped by a strain relief. There is a need for a simpler and more effective connector for terminating flat ribbon cable.